Q&A with Dr. Monroe

Thousands of children age 12 and older have received the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 since the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) green-lighted its emergency use authorization a few months ago. Yet some parents are still on the fence about whether or not to vaccinate their kids so we asked Dr. Rasheeda T. Monroe, medical director, WakeMed Children’s – Pediatric Primary Care to answer some top questions to help families learn more.

Should children and teens age 12+ get the COVID-19 vaccine?

When parents ask me this question, I remind them about the CDC’s rigorous investigations of the Pfizer vaccine’s safety and efficacy among children, and, if they haven’t already, I encourage them to look at the information on the CDC’s website. The science is there to support the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children. In addition to being a pediatrician, I’m a parent to an adolescent and a 10-year-old. I share with parents that my adolescent has been vaccinated and my 10-year-old is enrolled in the PfizerBioNTech study for younger kids, so he may also be vaccinated already. The COVID-19 vaccine essentially eliminates the risk of serious illness related to the disease and even death. This scientific fact alone is reason enough for me to have my children vaccinated.

What about kids with chronic health conditions?

Parents who have children with chronic illnesses and immunodeficiencies are often hesitant to vaccinate their children when actually these are the kids who should definitely get their COVID-19 vaccinations. They run the greatest risk of serious illness and potentially long-term side effects such as lung and heart problems.

Are there children who should not get vaccinated against COVID-19?

There are very few contraindications for COVID-19 vaccine in adults and children. People who had an anaphylactic (severe allergic) reaction after getting the first vaccine should not get the second. People who have had an anaphylactic reaction to polyethylene glycol, which is in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, should also refrain from getting the vaccine.” You mentioned your 10-year-old is enrolled in the Pfizer-BioNTech trial for children ages 5 to 11.

The Delta variant sounds serious. What should parents know?

It is. It’s extremely contagious and can cause severe disease among people who are not vaccinated. For the most part, children have been spared from serious COVID-19 illness, but we don’t know how long this will last as more and more serious variants pop up. The more people who are vaccinated decreases the virus’s ability to mutate and spread.

Are you and your children ready to get back to in-person school?

I’m so excited to send them back, and the fact that my older son has been vaccinated against COVID-19 is a comfort to me. Plus, I feel like the teachers are prepared, with many of them being vaccinated themselves and well versed in masking and social distancing. Online school has been so isolating and simply not optimal for kids. We are all ready to get back to activities, clubs, sports and safe social gatherings. It’s time.

Meet the Expert – Rasheeda T. Monroe, MD

Dr. Monroe is a board-certified pediatrician and serves as the medical director for the practice and is the campus director for the UNC program based at WakeMed Raleigh Campus, where she provides oversight and direction of medical students’ educational activities and assignments while at WakeMed and the surrounding community. She received her medical degree from the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine where she graduated AOA (medical honor society), and completed her residency in pediatrics at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to her role with WakeMed Children’s, Dr. Monroe has played an integral role in WakeMed’s efforts to provide underserved members of our community with COVID-19 vaccinations.